Predicting death anxiety in nurses based on personality traits and professional ethics: a comparison between nurses with and without physical activity

 Death anxiety is a unique human problem and an important therapeutic issue. Even at the subconscious level, death anxiety can significantly affect the scope of daily life and performance. This study aimed to predict death anxiety in athlete nurses based on personality traits (five personality factors) and professional ethics.

The population of this study was athlete nurses working in hospitals (Milad, Modares, Erfan, and Sevom Shaban Damavand) who were working between September 2020 to January 2021. Statistical sample: For this purpose, in a correlational study, 250 hospital staff were selected by convenience sampling and evaluated in terms of death anxiety, personality traits, and professional ethics. Participants completed Death Anxiety Questionnaire (Templer, 1970), Neo Personality Dimensions Questionnaire (McCrae and Costa, 1992), and Professional Ethics (Cañizales Vargas, 2002). The Pearson's correlation coefficient, regression analysis, and analysis of variance were used to analyze the data.

The results show there were positive relationships between death anxiety, neuroticism, and responsibility. The results also indicate negative relationships between extraversion, flexibility, and compassion. There was also a negative relationship between professional ethics and death anxiety, and no significant difference has been found between death anxiety and hospital athlete nurses. The results showed that personality traits and professional ethics in total, in cooperation with other variables could predict death anxiety. Finally, the results indicate there are some significant differences between nurses with and without physical activity.

According to the results, familiarity with the concepts of professional value and cognitive skills, emotional, and behavior can affect the athlete nurses' performance and mental health. It is also necessary to encourage nurses to exercise during the pandemic of coronavirus disease-19.